I don’t know about you, but during the past two years I have found extreme comfort in revisiting wines and foods from around the world. It was strangely comforting to have the opportunity to travel while staying home by getting my hands on wine and food from other regions. During the pandemic I happily revisited Italy. Just before we were locked down I discovered the way Anthony Bourdain talked about Italian cuisine in Kitchen Confidential (and as a note … if you get the chance read his annotated edition). I may have been guilty of overlooking the great cuisine of Italy because I haven’t had much exposure to it. This brings me to Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG.
As I previously mentioned about Italian cuisine, I think Prosecco specifically has a reputation similar where it all gets lumped into one category. Not all Prosecco is created equal. And Prosecco is not just a cheap alternative to champagne. When talking about Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG you are talking about the highest level in quality from this region. In spite of being at the top of the pyramid when talking about this region, and considered to be top quality in terms of expression of Prosecco, these wines remain very affordable. When bottles work their way through the LCBO they usually hover around the twenty dollar mark, and remarkable wines are now finding their way onto the shelves of some great bottle shops in the province.
I mentioned how during the pandemic I found a way to quench my wanderlust with wine and cuisine. But it’s hard not to think about heading to Italy as the world begins to reopen. In 2019 the hillsides of Conegliano Valdobbiadene were declared a world heritage site by UNESCO and included them in the list of cultural landscaped to be protected. I have never had an opportunity to visit the region beyond what I get in my glass, but I know from my own travelling experience that this is a region where the photographs don’t do it justice.
From a viticultural standpoint the breathtaking visuals add challenges to the winemaking. The steep hillsides make it difficult, or impossible to get machinery into the vineyards so dealing with the fruit has to be done by hand. To maintain the quality in the region producers must adhere to a strict set of rules. They maintain that the harvest needs to be done by hand, that crop yield cannot exceed more than 13.5 tonnes per hectare, and that only certain grapes can be used for production. Glera must make up 85% of what ends up in the bottle, but as we are dealing with Italy here there are a handful of other local varieties that might end up in the bottle like Verdiso, Bianchetta Trevigiana, Perera, and Glera Lunga. I could get into the full nerdy details but trust me, there are a lot of rules – they are generally put in place to protect the identity and quality of winemaking in a region.
While there are rules in place, there’s nothing to say that the governing body in a wine region isn’t paying attention to change. In my previous post about this region I talked about how you can get a feel for how sweet your bottle will be by understanding the statement on the bottle. It appears that in the past couple years some additional styles have been acknowledged that you might see on the label. These are styles of winemaking that acknowledge the origins of winemaking in the region.
- Sui Lieviti (On The Lees) – I shouldn’t be surprised to see this as something recognized as it is becoming popular elsewhere in the world – even in Ontario the VQA have acknowledged winemaking where lees stay in the bottle. Even though fermented in tanks the secondary fermentation still leaves dead yeast that might end up in the bottle. With this style of winemaking you may also face greater bottle variation given the fact that yeasts in each bottle will affect them differently. So if you crack a bottle labeled this way don’t be surprised if you end up with a bit of sediment in the glass
- Frizzante (Semi-sparkling) – These are wines that the secondary fermentation is lower than typical Prosecco Superiore. There are also producers who are making this with secondary fermentation taking place in bottle with the yeast. Bottles made in this style would not have the superiore title on the label.
- Tranquillo (Still) – This is a niche product, it also would not have the superiore name on the label. As the name suggests, no bubbles – and you would get an interesting expression from the vineyards. These rare wines come from densely planted low-yielding vineyards and are harvested when they are very ripe.
While I generally try to shy away from the nerdy details, when it comes to Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore the importance is in the details. As a consumer I hope that we see some of the rarer styles of winemaking from this region make their way to Ontario. Given the permanent changes to regulation to allow bottle shops I think it’s only a matter of time before one of our great Italian restaurants bring some of these bottles in. But if we’re trying to keep it simple just keep an eye out for Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore on the bottle … or you could probably just keep an eye open for the DOCG sticker across the cork and Superiore on the bottle. Grabbing a bottle labeled as such might surprise you compared to what usually ends up in a brunch mimosa.
And, one final thought while Prosecco Superiore is more than just a Champagne substitute … but when you’re dealing with the best versions of these wines they are just as food friendly and delicious. So when you’re shopping for bubbles this holiday season think about visiting Italy.
This is a sponsored post written in collaboration with Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco DOCG.
